PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. inspected the Sum-Ag Water Treatment Plant and Caliban Facility in Barangay Abo-Abo, Murcia, Negros Occidental on Monday afternoon, January 19, 2026.
Marcos said the Sum-Ag Water Treatment Plant is a clear example of how the public and private sectors can work together to provide solutions.
"It is an initiative that represents sound infrastructure planning and responsible investment in our country’s future," he said.
Considered one of the largest water treatment facilities in the Negros Island Region, the Sum-Ag Water Treatment Plant strengthens Bacolod City’s long-term water security.
Bacolod Bulk Water Inc. (BBWI), a subsidiary of Tubig Pilipinas Group, recently opened water treatment facilities mark a major milestone in the delivery of safe, affordable, and reliable potable water to Bacolod City and the Municipality of Murcia.
BBWI is part of the Tubig Pilipinas Group, a Philippine-based water infrastructure platform established in 2014 with a mandate to deliver sustainable water and sanitation solutions especially outside Metro Manila.
Tubig Pilipinas is owned by Quadwater and Pure Water, with 15 percent foreign direct investment from Climate Fund Managers (CI2), a Dutch European Union-based fund supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the European Union.
The Bacolod Bulk Water Supply Project was competitively bid in two packages (North and South) in 2015, with the Tubig Pilipinas consortium emerging as the lowest qualified bidder.
Its Phase 1 in Ngalan Water Treatment Plant located in Barangay Granada, Bacolod was commissioned in October 2017, initially supplying 10 Million Liters per Day (MLD) at P8.85/m³.
At present, Ngalan supplies up to 24 MLD, remaining one of the lowest cost bulk water projects in the Philippines despite inflationary pressures.
Its Phase 2, the Sum-Ag Water Treatment Plant in Baranfay Salvacion, Murcia was completed January 2025, with the 12.5-km Murcia–Bacolod transmission pipeline completed in March 2025. Currently delivers 15 MLD of potable water.
Its Phase 3 in Caliban River Intake in Barangay Abo-Abo, Murcia was completed in October 2025, adding 20 MLD of available capacity.
The total project cost amounts to P1.5 billion, financed through Shareholders’ equity (including EU-backed FDI via Climate Fund Managers), long-term debt from the Development Bank of the Philippines.
With the capacity to deliver up to 75 million liters of potable water per day, Marcos said this project will benefit about 100,000 households, roughly half a million residents.
"It would not be possible without the direction of Tubig Pilipinas Group Inc., through its subsidiary Bacolod Bulk Water Inc.," he said.
He added that the project also benefited from international expertise, including water treatment and automation technology from Israel-based Watermatic International.
Marcos noted that the P1.5-billion investment, funded through shareholder equity with participants from Climate Fund Managers, the DBP, reflects the country’s strong confidence in the infrastructure sector.
"It demonstrates our country’s established position to make long-term investments succeed. It is particularly true for those aligned with climate resilience and with sustainable development," Marcos said.
The President also lauded those who contributed to the completion of the facility.
"Ladies and gentlemen, projects such as the Sum-Ag Water Treatment Plant remind us that as long as we work together, we can transform our communities for the better," Marcos said.
He said it reinforces the administration’s direction to create well-planned, responsibly financed infrastructure for the people.
"May our path ahead be clear, and the water that will flow in our communities nurture as we build a Bagong Pilipinas for all," he added.
The Bacolod–Murcia Bulk Water System is of strategic important to the province-wide water system designed to reduce reliance on finite and unsustainable groundwater sources; improve water security, public health, and climate resilience; and support economic growth by ensuring affordable and reliable water supply.
At full scale, the system is capable of serving over 750,000 people and supporting the long-term water needs of both Bacolod City and Murcia.
BBWI is currently undertaking Stage 4 expansion, further increasing abstraction from the Caliban River and strengthening northern system redundancy.
Simultaneously, Tubig Pilipinas Group is constructing the 50-MLD Jaclupan Bulk Water Supply Project in Talisay City, Cebu, alongside continued expansion in San Jose City (Nueva Ecija), Cadiz City (Negros Occidental), Catbalogan (Samar), Nabua (Camarines Sur), Echague (Isabela), Trece Martires City (Cavite), Coron (Palawan), and Sual and Labrador (Pangasinan).
The event was also attended by the local officials led by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, Bacolod City Lone District Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya, Murcia Mayor Gerardo Victor Rojas, Bacolod City Councilors Al Victor Espino and Psyche Marie Sy, Ryan Yapkianwee, president and chief executive officer of Tubig Pilipinas, as well as diplomats and guest from the European Union, Kingdom of the Netherlands and State of Israel. (MAP)